FEATURED POST

Camelback literally changed my life. The aha moment for me was at the first summit in New Orleans. I had this moment where I just looked around, and I got very emotional. I told myself, “Vince, man, you cannot cry. You just met these people yesterday.” I constantly had these waves of thoughts, “Am I really going to do this? Am I really trying to lead my own organization?”READ MORE →

FELLOW SPOTLIGHTS

We truly believe in the potential of these ventures and appreciate the passion of the founders. We hope you enjoy getting to know them as much as we have.To all candidates; thank you for sharing your vision with us, and thank you for all that you do for your communities. Finalists; we'll talk soon.

"I wish the opportunity to build and create was available to everyone. How different would our national community be, and our world be, if everyone had their chance to contribute their genius to the greater world?"

Three Camelback Fellows share how the Fellowship shaped both them as a person, including overcoming imposter syndrome, and their organization. They also share their best advice (and encouragement) for underrepresented school founders.

There's no guidebook to starting a school. Fellows think back to the early days, reflecting on early decisions that have turned out well, and others that, in retrospect, were a mistake. They also share what new leaders should look for in a co-founder.

Our three-part series features interviews with three incredible school founders. In part one, they share their journey, starting with their own childhood experiences that stuck with them to the moment they realized they were ready to start their own school.

"In 2017, I did 1:1s with over 400 people in Miami. Parents, teachers, community members -- everyone is on the same page: we all agree the system here is broken." Yannell Selman reflects on her identity as a Latinx entrepreneur, teacher, and community organizer and her path to the Camelback Fellowship.

Jonathan Johnson began his journey to founding a school when one of his students died tragically in a drug deal. He resolved to create an innovative school that provides pathways to financial freedom. The school opened its doors in August to its first class of 9th-graders, mostly of color. After their first semester, Jonathan shares Rooted's early successes, the most inspiring moment of his career so far, and advice for aspiring school founders.

In college, Tony Weaver, Jr. filled up notebooks with scripts, but no one on campus would make his films that dealt with race and identity. Today, he's teaching a multimedia literacy curriculum across the country -- so how did he get from A to B? Check out this interview to find out.

Tyler Brewster was the Dean of Discipline for a school in her childhood neighborhood. After 10 years in education, she thought she knew what her role was in education. One day, she met with a student who had already received a few suspensions. The conversation they had changed her life forever.

This cohort was a labor of love for our Camelback team; it's also the most social justice oriented cohort. And this, especially to me, felt significant. I knew that, even when it felt like everything else was going to hell this past year, I could return to the work the Camelback applicants were doing and be inspired.

I share these stories because it's been humbling to remember that while the unspoken rules of entrepreneurship at this level are new to me, the heart and spirit aren't. I've been practicing it my whole life.

James Kim, 2017 Camelback Fellow, shares his perspective on the first Summit: "It's Day 1 of the Camelback Summit — I marveled at where I was, who I was with, and how I came to be here. What emerged for me was a profound recognition of how immensely varied our journeys have been."

CEO Aaron T. Walker introduces the 2017 Fellows: "Every day we have the opportunity to be co-conspirators with entrepreneurs who are doing the work to 'bend the arc toward justice.' These entrepreneurs are a daily reminder that change is not inevitable, but rather the result of a collective of passionate, tirelessly working individuals."

"To any social enterprise POC or women: if you’re looking for a safe space, a team, and a support system that understands exactly what you’re trying to do and the problems you’re trying to solve, you won’t find something like what Camelback can do anywhere else."

2015 Fellow Jessica Santana has been killing the game since she finished the Camelback Fellowship with features in CNN Money, Huffington Post, Forbes, and most importantly, a 100% graduation rate for students in her program, New York on Tech.

After making the Forbes 30 Under 30 List, 2015 Fellow Marcus Noel shares what inspired him about the Forbes Summit and what has excited him most about his work since completing the Camelback Fellowship.

PERSPECTIVES, UPDATES, & CEO REFLECTIONS

We truly believe in the potential of these ventures and appreciate the passion of the founders. We hope you enjoy getting to know them as much as we have.To all candidates; thank you for sharing your vision with us, and thank you for all that you do for your communities. Finalists; we'll talk soon.

The increase in Camelback applications has been exponential. Year one: 46. Year two: 80. Year three: 180. Year four: 530. Whether you take our application numbers as any indication, know that there is no pipeline problem. We're out here -- and we see y'all out there doing the good work, too.

I started this blog post by trying to write an analysis of our rubric to share, but as I drafted, it became a reflection on the shared values of not just our organization, but of the amazing Fellows I have had the honor of supporting with my work at Camelback. If these observations speak to you, I hope you consider applying to the Camelback Fellowship.

You may be racking your brain for the best possible answers. Trust me, I’ve been there too. With that in mind, I’ve compiled some tips that should hopefully get you that much closer to writing the application of your dreams (and hopefully our dreams).

"Ruthlessness has the implication and inherent meanings of aggressive intensity, unyielding pursuit of an end. What if we took that same ruthlessness and put it towards the pursuit of equity in our country?" Camelback launches our manifesto, Ruthless for Good, and Aaron shares why this work for him is personal.

"Poverty is knowing that if you don’t make it out, you will get stuck there. It’s knowing you will be stuck either working the farm, in a restaurant, a nursing home, or a school your whole life. Which wouldn’t seem so awful, if almost everyone you knew didn’t hate it."

"Our opening summit was an opportunity to connect back to the heart of our work - our Fellows. And it reminded me that the thing that can be the great multiplier of bringing 12 people together is love.

CEO Aaron T. Walker introduces the 2017 Fellows: "Every day we have the opportunity to be co-conspirators with entrepreneurs who are doing the work to 'bend the arc toward justice.' These entrepreneurs are a daily reminder that change is not inevitable, but rather the result of a collective of passionate, tirelessly working individuals."

There's nothing we love more than the opportunity to celebrate and appreciate other orgs in the social impact space doing great work. Each member of the Camelback Team took a day to highlight an incredible organization that we feel is making bold moves to pay it forward to their communities.

Our insights include emotionally vulnerable moments about not being okay, how to give veterans better tech, and the importance of activism. 2015 Fellows Jessica and Jerelyn contribute their reflections.

Our coaches, or as we call them "Entreprenuerial Engineers," have a tremendous impact for our Fellows. Hear from our team, past Fellows, and Entrepreneurial Engineers about the coaching side of our work.

Not only has 2016 already been a banner year for women (Hillary! Ali Wong’s Netflix comedy special! Beyonce’s Lemonade!), but October, in particular, has offered a slew of examples of great storytelling by ladies.

RESOURCES & GUIDES

You may be racking your brain for the best possible answers. Trust me, I’ve been there too. With that in mind, I’ve compiled some tips that should hopefully get you that much closer to writing the application of your dreams (and hopefully our dreams).

"I've embraced an entrepreneurial mindset to mitigate a life of risks. I am sharing the factors I use now for early and mature founders alike -- this framework has kept me focused, sane, and committed."

Many for-profit leaders seem unafraid to ask for the money they need to start up; but I continue to see non-profit leaders struggle to make the ask...Because most funders speak finance, it is key that you can not only tell them why your business is important, but explain to them how they can support you in achieving your goals.

As an Entrepreneurial Engineer, Bob guides Fellows through the ins and outs of leadership. Here, he shares the importance of prioritizing organizational culture and ways to shape it at any organization.